Miitomo, the first mobile app from Nintendo, launches on iOS and Android in Japan

Let’s be honest, we haven’t exactly been waiting with bated breath for Nintendo to make Miitomo available for mobile downloads. But for better or worse, this is the hugely popular Japanese developer’s first Android and iOS title, so it deserves a bit of attention.

Unveiled and ambiguously detailed back in October, the social “go-between” game felt like a fun little experiment meant to pave the way for much more ambitious Nintendo projects off the bat. Nothing less, nothing more. And now that it’s fully fleshed out and up for grabs in the Japanese Google Play and iOS App Store, it’s an even bigger disappointment.

It’s hardly a game per se, as “players” can only build virtual alter-egos of themselves, called Miis, customize their personality and how they speak, and interact with other Miis in very rudimentary ways.

Clearly targeted at people too shy to ask their real-life friends uncomfortable questions, Miitomo could well make its users fear actual human interaction more. And then you have those that’ll grow bored with the social app minutes after they finish creating their second self.

On the bright side, you can get rewards if you stick with Miitomo long enough, and use those to take real money off consoles and various paid Nintendo games. Also, keep in mind this is just the beginning, and we’re not talking about Miitomo’s imminent global expansion. In other words, don’t give up your official Super Mario Bros Android and iOS dreams yet.

Adrian has had an insatiable passion for writing since he was in school and found himself writing philosophical essays about the meaning of life and the differences between light and dark beer. Later, he realized this was pretty much his only marketable skill, so he first created a personal blog (in Romanian) and then discovered his true calling, which is writing about all things tech (in English).